Duty cycle translator methods and apparatus

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for translating duty cycle information in duty-cycle-modulated signals to higher frequencies or higher data rates. An exemplary duty cycle translator includes a duty cycle evaluator, a high-speed digital counter, and a comparator. The duty cycle evaluator generates a first digital number representing a duty cycle of a low-frequency input duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal. The comparator compares the first digital number to a second digital number generated by the high-speed digital counter, and generates, based on the comparison, an output DCM signal having a higher frequency or data rate than the frequency or data rate of the low-frequency input DCM signal but a duty cycle that is substantially the same as the duty cycle of the low-frequency input DCM signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/949,710, filed on Nov. 18, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety and for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to electrical and electronic systems and in particular to methods and apparatus for translating duty cycle information in a duty-cycle-modulated signal to higher frequencies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Duty cycle modulation is a technique in which pulses, or a relationship among pulses, in a pulse wave are varied to encode information or control power delivery to a load. The term “duty cycle” refers to the fraction of time a duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal is active high over some specified interval of time, often the time interval between consecutive rising edges of the pulse waveform. In general, duty cycle may be used to describe periodic, semi-periodic, and aperiodic DCM signals. In a periodic DCM signal, for example, the interval of time corresponds to the period of the signal, and the duty cycle is defined for each signal period as the fraction of time during which the signal is high.

DCM signals are generated in various ways. In one commonly-used approach, pulse widths of a signal are varied to produce the desired DCM signal. DCM signals generated using this approach are referred to as a “pulse width modulated” or “PWM” signals. In another approach the pulse widths are fixed but the times between pulses are varied to produce a DCM signal having a variable pulse density. DCM signals generated by this latter approach are referred to as “pulse density modulated” or “PDM” signals or, alternatively, “pulse-frequency modulated” or “PFM” signals.

There are various circumstances where it is necessary or it would be desirable to translate duty cycle information in DCM signals to higher frequencies or higher data rates. The present invention addresses these needs and desires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods and apparatus for translating duty cycle information in duty-cycle-modulated signals to higher frequencies or higher data rates are disclosed. An exemplary duty cycle translator includes a duty cycle evaluator, a high-speed digital counter, and a comparator. The duty cycle evaluator generates a first digital number representing a duty cycle of a low-frequency input duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal. The comparator compares the first digital number to a second digital number generated by the high-speed digital counter, and generates, based on the comparison, an output DCM signal having a higher frequency or data rate than the frequency or data rate of the low-frequency input DCM signal but a duty cycle that is substantially the same as the duty cycle of the low-frequency input DCM signal.

Further features and advantages of the invention, including descriptions of the structure and operation of the above-summarized and other exemplary embodiments of the invention, will now be described in detail with respect to accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers are used to indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a duty cycle translator, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a duty cycle translator, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are signal diagrams illustrating how the output duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal S_(out) (FIG. 3B) of a duty cycle translator of the present invention has a higher frequency than the input DCM signal S_(in) (FIG. 3A) but the same duty cycle;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a duty cycle translator, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is diagram of a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is diagram of a switching amplifier, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a power supply module for a light emitting device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary DCM signal generator that may be used to generate the low-frequency DCM signal in the power supply module in FIG. 8; and

FIGS. 10A-D are signal diagrams of signals generated by the DCM signal generator in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an exemplary duty cycle translator 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The duty cycle translator 100 comprises first and second digital counters 102 and 104, a phase-locked loop (PLL) 106, a latch (or other similar memory device) 108, and a digital magnitude comparator 110, and may be formed using discrete components, one or more integrated (IC) chips, or a combination of discrete components and IC chips. As explained in detail below, the duty cycle translator 100 operates to translate an input duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal S_(in) to a higher frequency output DCM signal S_(out) while preserving the duty cycle information contained in the original input DCM signal S_(in). In some of the exemplary embodiments described below, the input DCM signal S_(in) is described as being periodic. However, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of the detailed description that follows, the duty translator methods and apparatus of the present invention are not limited to operating on periodic DCM signals. Accordingly, for the purpose of this disclosure, the term “duty-cycle-modulated signal” will refer to and incorporate within its meaning periodic, aperiodic, and variable periodicity (i.e., semi-periodic) signals, including, for example, pulse-width modulated (PWM) signals and pulse-density modulated (PDM) signals (i.e., pulse-frequency modulated (PFM) signals).

The first digital counter 102 and latch 108 are configured to generate an n-bit digital number representing the duty cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in), and together comprise one way of implementing what may be referred to as a “duty cycle evaluator.” The first digital counter 102 is configured to receive the input DCM signal S_(in) at its enable (EN) input, and the latch 108 is configured to receive the input DCM signal S_(in) at its clock (CLK) input. The clock input of the first digital counter 102 is configured to receive a first digital counter clock signal of frequency f₁=K1×f_(in), where K1 is a resolution factor and f_(in) is the input frequency of the input DCM signal S_(in). The first digital counter clock signal is generated by the PLL 106 (or other suitable clock generating or recovery circuit) based on pulse transitions in the input DCM signal S_(in).

Upon detecting a rising edge of a pulse in the input DCM signal S_(in), the first digital counter 102 commences counting from zero, at a rate f₁, and continues counting until the latch 108 detects the falling edge of the pulse, at which time the present count of the first digital counter 102 is latched into the latch 108 and coupled to the “B” input of the digital magnitude comparator 110. The present count is represented by an n-bit digital number that is proportional to the width (i.e., duration) of the pulse and is representative of the duty cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in) for the period being measured. The first digital counter 102 and latch 108 repeat this count and latch operation on subsequent pulses in the input DCM signal S_(in), generating and latching a unique count for each pulse received.

The second digital counter 104 is configured to repeatedly and continuously count from zero to K2−1, according to a second digital counter clock applied to the clock (CLK) input of the second digital counter 104. The second digital counter clock has a frequency f₂=K2×f_(out), where K2 is a resolution factor, f_(out)=M×f_(in) is the frequency of a high-frequency clock, and M is an integer or non-integer multiplier greater than unity. The count from the second digital counter 104 is an m-bit digital number that is coupled to the “A” input of the digital magnitude comparator 110.

The resolution factors K1 and K2 of the first and second digital counters 102 and 104 may be integers or non-integers. In one embodiment of the invention, K1 and K2 are both integer powers of two, such that 2^(n)=K1 (n=log₂K1) and 2^(m)=K2 (m=log₂K2). Using K1 and K2 that are integer powers of two is beneficial in that it affords the ability to implement the duty cycle translator 100 using low-cost digital circuitry. K1 and K2 may also be equal or unequal. In one embodiment of the invention K1=K2=2⁷=128 so that n=m=7, thereby providing seven-bit resolution for each of the first and second digital counters 102 and 104.

The low-frequency input clock and high-frequency output clock may or may not be related. In one embodiment of the invention, the two clocks are harmonically related such that f_(out)=M×f_(in) and M is positive integer representing the harmonic order of the high-frequency clock. As illustrated in FIG. 2, harmonically related clocks requires the use of only a single PLL 206 to generate the first and second digital counter clocks for the first and second digital counters 102 and 104.

Following each pulse in the input DCM signal S_(in), the digital magnitude comparator 110 compares the n-bit digital number held by the latch 108 and representing the duration of the pulse to the continuously incrementing count from the second digital counter 104. As the second digital counter 104 counts from zero, its count eventually exceeds the count held by the latch 108, causing the “A<B” output of the digital magnitude comparator 110 to transition low. Because the high-frequency clock has a frequency f_(out) that is M times higher than the frequency f_(in) of the low-frequency input clock, i.e., because f_(out)=M×f_(in), the second digital counter 104 completes M count cycles (each count cycle ranging from 0 to K2−1) for each period 1/f_(in) of the low-frequency input clock. The digital count at input A becomes greater than the count applied to input B once during each of these M count cycles. Accordingly, the “A<B” output of the digital magnitude comparator 110, which is the output from which the desired output DCM signal S_(out) is produced, also transitions from high to low M times for each period 1/f_(in) of the low-frequency input clock, the transition times depending on the width of the particular pulse being processed.

Whereas the duty cycle translator 100 operates to increase the input frequency from f_(in) to f_(out), the duty cycle information in the output DCM signal S_(out) remains unchanged from the duty cycle information contained in the original input DCM signal S_(in). This is illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, where for a multiplier M=4 and periodic input DCM signal S_(in) having an input duty cycle of 25% and frequency f_(in) (FIG. 3A), the duty cycle translator 100 translates the input signal S_(in) to an output signal S_(out) having a 4× higher output frequency f_(out)=M×f_(in)=4f_(in) but unchanged duty cycle of 25% (FIG. 3B).

The exemplary duty cycle translator 100 in FIG. 1 works well for input DCM signals S_(in) that are periodic, such as PWM signals. For input DCM signals S_(in) that are aperiodic or have a variable periodicity, the duty cycle translator 400 shown in FIG. 4 may be used. The duty cycle translator 400 may be referred to as a “generalized” duty cycle translator since it is operable to translate duty cycle information for input DCM signals S_(in) of all types, including periodic, aperiodic, and variable-periodicity or semi-periodic signals.

The generalized duty cycle translator 400 comprises a duty cycle evaluator 401 that includes first and second digital counters 402 and 404 and a digital divider 406; a third digital counter 408; and a digital magnitude comparator 410. The first and second digital counters 402 and 404 are configured to count at a measuring clock rate f₁ determined by the desired or required measuring resolution, and measure the period and active high time (i.e., pulse duration) of each cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in). The first digital counter 402 is edge-triggered and counts between consecutive rising edges of the incoming input DCM signal S_(in). The second digital counter 404 is level-triggered and counts during times when the input DCM signal S_(in) is active high. At the end of each cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in), a divide command commands the digital divider 406 to divide the count at the output of the second digital counter 404 by the count at the output of the first digital counter 402, thereby producing an n-bit digital number representing the duty cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in) for that cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in). Immediately following the divide command, the first and second digital counters 402 and 404 are reset to zero and counting begins for the next cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in). In general, because the input DCM signal S_(in) has a variable periodicity and variable duty cycle, the digital divider 406 produces a unique n-bit digital number for each cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in).

The third digital counter 408 is configured to repeatedly and continuously count from zero to K2−1count (zero to K2−1 is one “count cycle”) at a rate f₂, where f₂ f_(out)>f₁, producing an m-bit digital number. The digital magnitude comparator 410 is configured to compare the incrementing m-bit digital number to the n-bit digital number produced by the duty cycle generator 401. (Note that the most-significant bits of the m- and n-bit digital numbers are aligned at the “A” and “B” inputs so that each digital number represents a fraction ranging from 0 and 1.) At the beginning of each count cycle of the third digital counter 408, the m-bit digital number is zero, so the “A<B” output of the digital magnitude comparator 410, which is the output from which the desired output DCM signal S_(out) is produced, is high. Eventually the m-bit digital number increments to a value that exceeds the n-bit digital number from the duty cycle generator 401, and the “A<B” output of the digital magnitude comparator 410 drops and remains low until the full count cycle (0 to K2−1) completes. Once the count cycle has completed, the third digital counter 408 resets to zero and a new count cycle is started.

The third digital counter 408 completes multiple count cycles for each period of the input DCM signal S_(in), the total number of count cycles completed depending on how much higher f_(out) is compared to the measuring clock frequency f₁ and on the duration of the next adjacent cycle of the input DCM signal S_(in). This result is an output DCM signal S_(out) having a higher frequency f_(out) (or data rate) than the input DCM signal S_(in) but the same duty cycle information.

Duty cycle translators similar to the duty cycle translators 100 and 400 described above are employed in various application-specific embodiments of the invention described below.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a switch-mode direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter 500 that employs a duty cycle translator 506 similar to the duty cycle translator 100 or duty cycle 400, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The DC-DC converter 500 comprises one or more high-speed switches (e.g., bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) or field effect transistors (FETs) 502), a duty cycle modulation (DCM) regulator 504, the duty cycle translator 506, an energy storage inductor 508, and an output capacitor 510.

The DC-DC converter 500 is formed using discrete components, one or more IC chips, or a combination of discrete components and IC chips. In one embodiment, for example, the DCM regulator 504, duty cycle translator 506, and high-speed switches are formed in a single IC chip. In another embodiment, the DCM regulator 504 and duty cycle translator 506 are formed in a first silicon-based IC chip (e.g., as manufactured according to a standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) semiconductor manufacturing process), and the high-speed switches 502 are formed in a second, compound-semiconductor-based (e.g., silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), indium phosphide (IP)) IC chip.

The DC-DC converter 500 operates by alternately coupling and decoupling the energy storage inductor 508 to and from the DC input by controlling the one or more high-speed switches 502 in response to a high-frequency DCM control signal generated by the duty cycle translator 506. When the high-speed switches 502 cause the energy storage inductor 508 to be coupled to the DC input, current through the energy storage inductor 508 rises linearly while energy builds up and is stored in the inductor's 508's magnetic field. When the high-speed switches 502 switch and decouple the energy storage inductor 508 from the DC input, the inductor current falls linearly and energy that had been previously stored in the inductor's 508's magnetic field discharges into the output capacitor 510 and DC-DC converter's load 512. The output capacitor 510 is selected to have a capacitance such that the R-C time constant, where R represents the load resistance of the load 512 and C represents the capacitance of the output capacitor 510, is much longer than the period of the high-frequency DCM control signal. This results in a DC output voltage V_(out) which on average equals the DC input voltage V_(in) multiplied by the duty cycle of the high-frequency DCM control signal, i.e., V_(out,avg)=D×V_(in).

The output of the DC-DC converter 500 is regulated by feeding back the DC output voltage V_(out) to the DCM regulator 504. In one embodiment of the invention, the DCM regulator 504 comprises a PWM regulator configured to generate a PWM signal having a frequency f_(in) and a duty cycle that varies depending on to what degree the actual output voltage deviates from its desired value. The duty cycle translator 506 is substantially similar to the duty cycle translator 100 or duty cycle translator 400 shown and described above in connection with FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, and operates to translate the DCM signal to a high-frequency DCM signal having the same duty cycle information as the DCM signal. Driving the one or more high-speed switches 502 using the high-frequency DCM signal (instead of using the lower-frequency DCM signal) allows much smaller energy storage inductor 508 and output capacitor 510 values to be used. Indeed, for a high-frequency clock that is one hundred times higher than the low-frequency input clock, i.e., for f_(out)=M×f_(in)=100×f_(in), the energy storage inductor 508 and output capacitor 510 values can be reduced by as much as 99%.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a sigma-delta digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 600 that employs a duty cycle translator 604 similar to the duty cycle translator 100 or duty cycle translator 400, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sigma-delta DAC 600 comprises a sigma-delta modulator 602, the duty cycle translator 604 and a low-pass filter (LPF) 606. Like the DC-DC converter 400, the DAC 600 is formed using discrete components, one or more IC chips, or a combination of discrete components and IC chips.

The sigma-delta modulator 602 operates to transform a multi-bit digital input signal (e.g., a pulse code modulated (PCM) signal) to a single-bit serial signal. The single-bit serial signal may contain a series of fixed-width pulses, the density of pulses over time representing the magnitude of the digital input signal. This single-bit serial signal may be referred to as a pulse-density modulated (PDM) signal. Similar to a PWM signal, the PDM signal is a DCM signal, the only difference being in how the duty cycle D=t/T is modulated. For the PWM signal, the signal period T is fixed and t is allowed to vary within 0<t<T, whereas for the PDM signal, t is fixed and modulation is accomplished by varying the low time (T−t) between consecutive pulses.

The duty cycle translator 604 of the sigma-delta DAC 600 is similar to the duty cycle translator 100 shown and described above. It operates to generate a high-speed DCM signal having a higher speed (i.e., pulse rate) but same duty cycle information as the DCM signal produced at the output of the sigma-delta modulator 602. The high-speed DCM signal is coupled to the input of the LPF 606. The LPF 606 functions essentially to average the high-speed DCM signal. Accordingly, since the density of pulses in the high-speed DCM signal represents the average amplitude of the input signal over time, the analog version of the original multi-bit digital input signal from the high-speed DCM signal is recovered by the LPF 606. Using the duty cycle translator 604 allows the LPF component values to be made smaller than would otherwise be required, by as much as the ratio f_(out)/f_(in), where f_(in) is the frequency of the DCM signal applied to the duty cycle translator input and f_(out)=M×f_(in) is the frequency of the high-frequency clock of the duty cycle translator 604.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a switching amplifier 700 that employs a duty cycle translator 704 similar to the duty cycle translator 100 or duty cycle translator 400, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The switching amplifier 700 comprises a sigma-delta modulator 702, the duty cycle translator 704, a switching stage 706, an inductor 708, and an output capacitor 710, and is formed using discrete components, one or more IC chips, or a combination of discrete components and IC chips. In one embodiment, the sigma-delta modulator 702 and duty cycle translator 704 are formed in one IC chip and the components of the switching stage 706 are formed in a second IC chip. In another embodiment, the sigma-delta modulator 702, duty cycle translator 704, and switching stage 706 are all formed in a single IC chip.

The sigma-delta modulator 702 and duty cycle translator 704 function similar to the sigma-delta modulator 702 and duty cycle translator 704 of the sigma-delta DAC 700 in FIG. 7, creating complementary high-speed DCM signals at the “A<B” and “A>B” outputs of the duty cycle translator 704. The complementary high-speed DCM signals have a higher pulse rate than the lower-speed DCM signal applied to the input of the duty cycle translator 704 but have the same duty cycle information as the lower-speed DCM signal. (It should be pointed out that rather than using the sigma-delta modulator 702 to generate the DCM signal, a pulse-width modulator can be alternatively used, similar to as in conventional Class-D switching amplifier. The DCM (PWM) signal produced by the pulse-width modulator would then be translated to a higher frequency using the duty cycle translator 704.)

The switching stage 706 of the switching amplifier 700 comprises first and second transistors 712 and 714, such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), metal-semiconductor FETs (MESFETs), heterojunction BJTs, high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), or other suitable switching devices. The gates of the first and second transistors 712 and 714 are driven by the complementary high-speed DCM signals produced at the “A<B” and “A>B” outputs of the duty cycle translator 704. Depending on the type and input characteristics of the transistors 712 and 714 used for the switching stage, an output driver and/or level-shifter may be included between the output of the duty cycle translator 704 and switching stage 706, as will be appreciated and understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. (It should be mentioned that for similar reasons an output driver and/or level-shifter may also be used in the DC-DC converter 500 in FIG. 5 and in other embodiments of the invention.)

The output of the switching stage 706 is fed to the inductor 708 and output capacitor 710, which together form an LPF. The L-C LPF has a cut-off frequency much lower than the switching frequency of the switching stage 706. Hence, switching energy from the switching stage 706 is prevented from reaching the load 716 (which in the case of an audio input comprises one or more speakers). The L-C LPF also functions to average the output signal of the switching stage 706 to form an amplified analog signal (e.g., an audio signal) having signal characteristics corresponding to the modulation in the original digital input signal. Similar to the DC-DC converter 400 described above, employing the duty cycle translator 704 affords the ability to use smaller-sized and lower-valued components for the L-C LPF.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a light-emitting diode (LED) power supply module 800 for an LED light bulb or other light-emitting device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The LED power supply module 800 comprises an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) converter 802, a regulator 804, a DCM signal generator 806, and a duty cycle translator 808. Like the other embodiments of the invention, the LED power supply module 800 is formed using discrete components, one or more IC chips, or a combination of discrete components and IC chips. As explained in further detail below, the duty cycle translator 808 is configured to generate a high-frequency DCM signal for controlling the dimming of a plurality of LEDs 812, which may be connected in series, parallel, or individually controlled and powered as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/897,066, entitled “Power Conversion and Control Systems and Methods for Solid-State Lighting,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The AC-DC converter 802 comprises a rectifier and switch-mode, step-down converter or transformer, as is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Alternatively, a direct conversion AC-DC converter is used, such as, or similar to, the rectifier-less direct conversion AC-DC converter described in co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/841,608, entitled “AC/DC Power Conversion Methods and Apparatus,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. Employing a direct conversion AC-DC converter of this type is advantageous in that it reduces parts count and manufacturing costs, lowers power consumption, and results in an overall reduction in size of the LED power supply module 800.

The DC voltage Vin(DC) produced at the output of the AC-DC converter 802 is supplied to the regulator 804. The regulator 804 comprises a current or voltage regulator for regulating the voltage V_(LED) supplied across, or current I_(LED) flowing through, the plurality of LEDs 812.

The DCM signal generator 806 is configured to generate a low-frequency DCM signal from a dimmer-modified AC input voltage Vin′(AC) provided by the TRIAC dimmer switch 810. The DCM signal generator 806 may be implemented in various ways. FIG. 9 is schematic diagram of an exemplary DCM signal generator 900 that may be used. The DCM signal generator 900 comprises first and second comparators 902 and 904, an inverting amplifier 906, a first voltage divider including resistors 908 and 910 (or, alternatively, capacitors), a second voltage divider including resistors 912 and 914 (or, alternatively, capacitors), and an OR logic gate 916. The first and second voltage dividers may not be necessary depending on the acceptable input voltage ranges of the various amplifiers. If, however, the dimmer-modified AC input voltage Vin′(AC) is not within the acceptable input ranges, it is scaled down using the first and second voltage dividers. Specifically, the first voltage divider scales the dimmer-modified AC input voltage Vin′(AC) down to a scaled, dimmer-modified AC input voltage αVin′(AC) so that the voltage is within the acceptable input voltage range limit of the first and second comparators 902 and 904, and the second voltage divider scales the DC voltage Vin(DC) from the output of the AC-DC converter 802 by the same amount to produce a scaled DC voltage αVin(DC). The first comparator 902 compares the scaled, dimmer-modified AC input voltage αVin(AC) to the scaled DC voltage αVin(DC), producing a high output voltage level when Vin′(AC)>Vin(DC) and a low output voltage level when Vin′(AC)<Vin(DC). The inverting amplifier 906 inverts the scaled DC voltage αVin(DC) to produce a scaled, inverted DC voltage −αVin(DC). The second comparator 904 compares the scaled, inverted DC voltage −αVin(DC) to the scaled, dimmer-modified AC input voltage αVin′(AC), producing a high output voltage when Vin′(AC)<−Vin(DC) and a low output voltage when Vin′(AC)>−Vin(DC). Finally, as illustrated in the timing signal diagrams in FIGS. 10A-D, the OR logic gate generates the desired low-frequency DCM signal, which has a logic high (“1”) whenever |Vin′(AC)|>Vin(DC) and a logic low (“0”) for all other times.

The low-frequency DCM signal has a duty cycle that varies depending on the dim setting of the TRIAC dimmer switch 810. The low-frequency DCM signal could be used to control the dimming of the plurality of LEDs 812 directly. However, to avoid any perceptibility of flickering, according to one embodiment of the invention it is first translated up in frequency by the duty cycle translator 808. Similar to the duty cycle translators 100 and 400 described above, the duty cycle translator 808 operates to translate the low-frequency DCM signal to a high-frequency DCM signal. Whereas the high-frequency DCM signal has a higher frequency it contains the same duty cycle information as the original, low-frequency DCM signal.

The high-frequency DCM signal is used to control the power available to the plurality of LEDs 812 depending on the dim setting of the TRIAC dimmer switch 810. In one embodiment, the regulator 804 comprises a current source that is controlled by the high-frequency DCM signal, thereby duty cycling the LED current I_(LED) in accordance with the duty cycle information in the high-frequency DCM signal.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described, they have been presented by way of example and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specifics of the exemplary embodiments but, instead, should be determined by the appended claims, including the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A duty cycle translator, comprising: a first counter configured to count and generate a number representing a duration of a first pulse in an input duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) waveform; a second counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than a rate said first counter is configured to count; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the number generated by said first counter to a count generated by said second counter, to generate an output DCM waveform having a higher frequency or data rate than said input DCM waveform and a duty cycle that is substantially the same as the duty cycle of said input DCM waveform.
 2. The duty cycle translator of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store the number generated by said first counter for at least a time following the end of said first pulse and up to a time a subsequent pulse in said input DCM waveform ends.
 3. The duty cycle translator of claim 1, wherein: said first counter is configured to generate a different number representing a duration of a subsequent pulse in said input DCM waveform; and said digital comparator is configured to digitally compare said different number to a count generated by said second counter.
 4. The duty cycle translator of claim 1, wherein said input DCM waveform is periodic and: said digital comparator is configured to digitally compare said number to a count generated by said second counter for a first cycle of said input DCM waveform; said first counter is configured to generate a different number representing a duration of a subsequent pulse in said input DCM waveform; and said digital comparator is configured to compare said different number to a count generated by said second counter during a subsequent cycle of said input DCM waveform.
 5. The duty cycle translator of claim 4, further comprising a memory configured to store said number for at least one cycle of said input DCM waveform following the end of said first pulse, and is configured to store said different number for at least one cycle of said input DCM waveform following the end of said subsequent pulse.
 6. The duty cycle translator of claim 1, wherein said first counter is configured to generate a unique number for each successive pulse occurring in said input DCM waveform, each unique number representing the duration of each successive pulse in said input DCM waveform.
 7. The duty cycle translator of claim 1, further comprising a clock generator configured to generate a first clock for said first counter and a second clock for said second counter, wherein said first and second clocks are harmonically related.
 8. The duty cycle translator of claim 1, wherein the number generated by said first counter has a value within a range of a plurality of different possible values including a minimum possible value and a maximum possible value, and the end number of said second counter corresponds to the maximum possible value of the number generated by said first counter.
 9. A duty cycle translator, comprising: a digital duty cycle evaluator configured to digitally evaluate an input duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) waveform and generate a digital output representing a duty cycle of said input DCM waveform; a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to evaluate said input DCM waveform; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output generated by said digital duty cycle evaluator to a count generated by said counter, to generate an output DCM waveform having a higher frequency or data rate than said input DCM waveform and a duty cycle that is substantially the same as a duty cycle of said input DCM waveform.
 10. The duty cycle translator of claim 9, wherein said duty cycle evaluator comprises: a first counter configured to count and generate a number representing a duration of a first pulse in said input DCM waveform; a second counter configured to count and generate a number representing a time between the occurrence of said first pulse and an occurrence of a subsequent pulse in said input DCM waveform; and a digital divider configured to divide said number representing the duration of said first pulse by said number representing the time between the occurrence of said first pulse and the occurrence of said subsequent pulse and generate said digital output representing the duty cycle of said input DCM waveform.
 11. A duty cycle translation method, comprising: digitally measuring a duration of a first pulse in an input DCM waveform according to a first clock running at a first rate, said digitally measuring including forming a first number representing the duration of said first pulse; repeatedly counting between a start number and an end number, according to a second clock running at a second rate faster than the first rate of said first clock; and digitally comparing said first number to a count produced by the step of repeatedly counting, to form an output DCM waveform having a higher frequency or data rate than said input DCM waveform and a duty cycle that is substantially the same as a duty cycle of said input DCM waveform.
 12. A duty cycle translation method, comprising: digitally evaluating an input DCM waveform according to a first clock running at a first rate, to generate a number representing a duty cycle of said input DCM waveform; repeatedly counting between a start number and an end number, according to a second clock running at a second rate faster than the first rate of said first clock; and digitally comparing said first number to the count produced by repeatedly counting, to form an output DCM waveform having a higher frequency or data rate than said input DCM waveform and a duty cycle that is substantially the same as a duty cycle of said input DCM waveform.
 13. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter, comprising: one or more switches configured to alternately couple an energy storage inductor to and from a DC input voltage at a rate of a high-frequency duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal; and a digital duty cycle translator including a digital duty cycle evaluator configured to digitally evaluate a low-frequency DCM signal and generate the high-frequency DCM signal said high-frequency DCM signal having a higher frequency than the low-frequency DCM signal and a duty cycle that is substantially the same as the low-frequency DCM signal.
 14. The DC-DC converter of claim 13, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duration of a pulse in said low-frequency DCM signal, and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaluator to a count generated by said counter, to generate said high-frequency DCM signal.
 15. The DC-DC converter of claim 13, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duty cycle of said low-frequency DCM signal and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaluator to a count generated by said counter, to generate said high-frequency DCM signal.
 16. A digital-to-analog converter (DAC), comprising: a sigma-delta modulator configured to generate a low-speed duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal from a digital input signal; a digital duty cycle translator including a digital duty cycle evaluator configured to digitally evaluate a low-speed DCM signal and generate a high-speed DCM signal, the high-speed DCM signal having a higher frequency than the low-speed DCM signal and a duty cycle substantially similar to a duty cycle of the low-speed DCM signal; and a low-pass filter configured to generate an analog output signal from the high-speed DCM signal.
 17. The DAC of claim 16, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duration of a pulse in said low-speed DCM signal, and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaulator to a count generated by said counter, to generate said high-speed DCM signal.
 18. The DAC of claim 16, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duty cycle of said low-speed DCM signal, and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaluator a count generated by said counter, to generate said high-speed DCM signal.
 19. A switching amplifier, comprising: a sigma-delta modulator configured to generate a low-speed duty-cycle-modulated (DCM) signal from a digital input signal; a digital duty cycle translator including a digital duty cycle evaluator configured to digitally evaluate a low-speed DCM signal and generate complementary high-speed DCM signals, one of the complementary high-speed DCM signals having a duty cycle that is substantially similar to a duty cycle of the low-speed DCM signal; and a switching stage configured to receive the complementary high-speed DCM signals and alternately couple and decouple an inductor to and from a power supply according to the duty cycle of the high-speed DCM signal that has a duty cycle substantially similar to a duty cycle of the low-speed DCM signal.
 20. The switching amplifier of claim 19, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duration of a pulse in said low-speed DCM signal, and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaluator to a count generated by said counter, to generate said complementary high-speed DCM signals.
 21. The switching amplifier of claim 19, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duty cycle of said low-speed DCM signal, and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaluator to a count generated by said counter, to generate said complementary high-speed DCM signals.
 22. A power supply module for a light-emitting device, comprising: an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) converter configured to generate a DC power supply from AC power provided by the AC mains, said DC power supply for powering one or more light-emitting devices; a duty cycle modulation signal generator configured to generate a low-frequency duty-cycle- modulated DCM) signal from an AC dimming signal provided by a dimmer switch coupled to the AC mains; a digital duty cycle translator including a digital duty cycle evaluator configured to digitally evaluate said low-frequency DCM signal and generate a high-frequency DCM signal, said high-frequency DCM signal having a higher frequency than said low-frequency DCM signal and a duty cycle substantially similar to a duty cycle of said low-frequency DCM signal; and circuitry for controlling dimming of the one or more light-emitting devices in accordance with the duty cycle of said high-frequency DCM signal.
 23. The power supply module of claim 22, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duration of a pulse in said low-frequency DCM signal, and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a base number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaluator to a count generated by said counter, to generate said high-frequency DCM signal.
 24. The power supply module of claim 22, wherein: said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to generate a digital output representing a duty cycle of said low-frequency DCM signal, and said digital duty cycle translator further includes: a counter configured to repeatedly count from a start number to an end number, at a rate faster than said digital duty cycle evaluator is configured to operate; and a digital comparator configured to digitally compare the digital output of said digital duty cycle evaluator to a count generated by said counter, to generate said high-frequency DCM signal. 